I don't think if...then... needs to be associated with anything active at
all - it's only a relationship. Well documented (as a 'production rule') in
the expert systems domain. James Tauber's approach with RDF looks good. The
inferencing system will make sense of it, presumably along with the rest of
the metadata.
I'd be interested to hear what the logicians have to say about if...then...
and implication in RDF.
BTW, there are interesting (though maybe a bit abortive) dabblings including
if...then.. in XML by TimBL :
http://www.w3.org/DesignIssues/Toolbox.html#Example
---
Danny Ayers
http://www.isacat.net
<- -----Original Message-----
<- From: www-rdf-interest-request@w3.org
<- [mailto:www-rdf-interest-request@w3.org]On Behalf Of Seth Russell
<- Sent: 28 April 2001 22:29
<- To: info@jan-winkler.de; www-rdf-interest@w3.org
<- Subject: Re: "If" and "else" in RDF
<-
<-
<- Jan Winkler asks:
<-
<- >Why is there nothing like if and else [in RDF] ?
<-
<- I think James Tauber has shown a way to do this in RDF. But I still have
<- some questions about what representing a "if then\else"
<- relation in a RDF
<- model might mean:
<-
<- Doesn't the "if <class> then <value>" construct need to be
<- relative to some
<- active process?
<-
<- For example: if the RDF model knows {Seth isA Male} and {Male addressedBy
<- "Mr"} and {[; young Male] addressedBy "boy"}, what is the value of the
<- <value> ?
<-
<- In other words: me thinks we will need to put the OO
<- programming model in
<- the RDF scheme of things before we will be able to do anything
<- useful with a
<- "if\then" construct. But I don't see any reason we shouldn't, I just
<- don't know anybody who has .... do you?
<-
<- Seth
<-
<-